The NBA Draft is just days away, and former Tar Heel Drake Powell has been working hard to make sure that he hears his name as early as possible in Brooklyn. Ever since he left Chapel Hill, his draft stock has managed to increase after going through workouts and interviews. Where is his draft stock right now? It depends on who you ask, but ESPN seems to think he can be a late first-round pick.
[ESPN’s latest NBA mock draft](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/45515479/2025-nba-mock-draft-59-picks-trade-talks-heat-30-teams) has Powell being taken as the 28th overall pick by the Boston Celtics. This is interesting to me, because the Celtics have Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but the Tatum aspect is actually part of their reasoning. They believe Powell is capable of soaking up minutes, especially in light of Tatum suffering an Achilles injury that could have him out going into the 2025-26 season. Like other analysts have said before, ESPN points to Powell’s upside, as well as his abilities on defense as reasons for the Celtics to take a chance on him.
Powell is an interesting prospect in this draft, because I’ve heard various things about where he could land. More specifically, I have had my ear really close to the ground when it comes to what the Chicago Bulls are going to do, and Powell’s name does still come up as a potential pick for them. Would they really reach for him with the 12th pick of the draft? It wouldn’t be the first time that they’ve done something like that, but there is also so much trade talk with them that I could see them trading down and still selecting him. Truly, it’s anybody’s guess when it comes to who actually lands Powell, but one thing is for sure: teams are definitely interested, it’s just a matter of how badly they want him at this point.
The NBA Draft is this Wednesday in the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, New York. Make sure to check in with us on draft night for how to watch details and news regarding where Powell ultimately lands.